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Business Meeting Meeting Committee on Environment S. HRG. 116–138 BUSINESS MEETING MEETING BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS UNITED STATES SENATE ONE HUNDRED SIXTEENTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION JULY 30, 2019 Printed for the use of the Committee on Environment and Public Works ( Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.govinfo.gov U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE 39–585 PDF WASHINGTON : 2020 VerDate Aug 31 2005 06:56 Feb 18, 2020 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 5011 Sfmt 5011 S:\_EPW\DOCS\39585.TXT SONYA COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS ONE HUNDRED SIXTEENTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION JOHN BARRASSO, Wyoming, Chairman JAMES M. INHOFE, Oklahoma THOMAS R. CARPER, Delaware, SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO, West Virginia Ranking Member KEVIN CRAMER, North Dakota BENJAMIN L. CARDIN, Maryland MIKE BRAUN, Indiana BERNARD SANDERS, Vermont MIKE ROUNDS, South Dakota SHELDON WHITEHOUSE, Rhode Island DAN SULLIVAN, Alaska JEFF MERKLEY, Oregon JOHN BOOZMAN, Arkansas KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND, New York ROGER WICKER, Mississippi CORY A. BOOKER, New Jersey RICHARD SHELBY, Alabama EDWARD J. MARKEY, Massachusetts JONI ERNST, Iowa TAMMY DUCKWORTH, Illinois CHRIS VAN HOLLEN, Maryland RICHARD M. RUSSELL, Majority Staff Director MARY FRANCES REPKO, Minority Staff Director (II) VerDate Aug 31 2005 06:56 Feb 18, 2020 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 S:\_EPW\DOCS\39585.TXT SONYA CONTENTS Page JULY 30, 2019 OPENING STATEMENTS Barrasso, Hon. John, U.S. Senator from the State of Wyoming .......................... 1 Carper, Hon. Thomas R., U.S. Senator from the State of Delaware ................... 3 Capito, Hon. Shelley Moore, U.S. Senator from the State of West Virginia ...... 5 Cardin, Hon. Benjamin L., U.S. Senator from the State of Maryland ................ 7 Boozman, Hon. John, U.S. Senator from the State of Arkansas ......................... 11 Ernst, Hon. Joni, U.S. Senator from the State of Iowa ........................................ 12 Rounds, Hon. Mike, U.S. Senator from the State of South Dakota .................... 12 Duckworth, Hon. Tammy, U.S. Senator from the State of Illinois ...................... 13 Braun, Hon. Mike, U.S. Senator from the State of Indiana ................................ 14 Van Hollen, Hon. Chris, U.S. Senator from the State of Maryland .................... 104 Whitehouse, Hon. Sheldon, U.S. Senator from the State of Rhode Island ......... 106 LEGISLATION Text of S. 1992, To amend the FAST Act to repeal a rescission of funds ........... 79 Amendments to S. 2302, America’s Transportation Infrastructure Act: Carper Amendment #1—To establish set-asides for competitive grants under the PROTECT grant program ........................................................... 81 Inhofe Amendment #1—To make certain marine highway corridor projects eligible projects under the INFRA grant program ....................... 84 Revised Duckworth Amendment #2—To require a study of impacts on roads from self-driving vehicles ................................................................... 87 Revised Merkley Amendment #3—To modify the invasive plant elimi- nation program .............................................................................................. 91 Revised Van Hollen Amendment #3—To modify provisions relating to funding for surface transportation system funding alternatives .............. 92 URL to the final version of S. 2302, America’s Transportation Infrastructure Act, as reported by the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works .................................................................................................................... 94 Committee Resolutions: Alteration, Consolidated Activities Program, Various Buildings. PCA- 0001-MU18 .................................................................................................... 95 Alteration, Consolidated Activities Program, Various Buildings. PCA- 0001-MU19 .................................................................................................... 96 Alteration, Seismic Mitigation Program, Various Buildings. PSE-0001- MU18 ............................................................................................................. 97 Lease, Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC. PDC-02-WA18 .......... 98 Lease, Social Security Administration, Falls Church, VA. PVA-03-FC20 ... 100 Lease, U.S. Department of the Treasury, Bureau of the Fiscal Service, Parkersburg, WV. PWV-01-PA19 ................................................................ 102 (III) VerDate Aug 31 2005 06:56 Feb 18, 2020 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 S:\_EPW\DOCS\39585.TXT SONYA VerDate Aug 31 2005 06:56 Feb 18, 2020 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 S:\_EPW\DOCS\39585.TXT SONYA BUSINESS MEETING TUESDAY, JULY 30, 2019 U.S. SENATE, COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS, Washington, DC. The Committee met, pursuant to notice, at 9:09 a.m. in room 406, Dirksen Senate Building, Hon. John Barrasso (Chairman of the Committee) presiding. Present: Senators Barrasso, Carper, Inhofe, Capito, Cramer, Braun, Rounds, Boozman, Wicker, Shelby, Ernst, Cardin, White- house, Merkley, Duckworth, and Van Hollen. OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. JOHN BARRASSO, U.S. SENATOR FROM THE STATE OF WYOMING Senator BARRASSO. Good morning. I call this business meeting to order. Today we are going to consider two bills and six General Services Administration resolutions. Senator Carper and I have agreed that we will actually begin voting at 9:45. At that time I will call up the items on the agenda. So we are not going to debate the items on the agenda while we are voting. Instead, we will debate the items on the agenda before we begin voting. I would also be happy to recognize any members who still wish to speak after the voting concludes. This morning, we will consider two pieces of legislation. The first is a Barrasso-Carper-Capito-Cardin substitute amendment to S. 2302, which is America’s Transportation Infrastructure Act. We will also take up S. 1992, which is a bill that I have intro- duced along with Ranking Member Carper to repeal a $7.6 billion rescission in the Federal Aid Highway Program contract authority. I introduced America’s Transportation Infrastructure Act along with our fellow leaders on the Environment and Public Works Committee, Ranking Member Carper, as well as Senators Capito and Cardin, who chair and rank on the Transportation Sub- committee. The legislation, as modified by the substitute amend- ment by the four of us, will make a historic investment in our roads, will cut Washington red tape, it will keep communities safe, and will help continue to grow America’s economy. The bill authorizes $287 billion from the Highway Trust Fund over the next 5 years. This is the most substantial highway infra- structure legislation in history. Of that money, $259 billion, or 90 percent of the money, will go directly to our roads and bridges (1) VerDate Aug 31 2005 06:56 Feb 18, 2020 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 S:\_EPW\DOCS\39585.TXT SONYA 2 through the Highway Formula Funding, a program that has suc- cessfully worked in our States across the country. Formula funding gives each State the flexibility to address their specific surface transportation needs. By distributing the funding through this formula, the legislation will help every State in the Nation and keep projects moving ahead. It is good for rural areas, it is good for urban communities, it is good across the country. So between new authorizations, loan leveraging programs, State match requirements, and likely additions from the Commerce and Banking Committees, our bill’s total impact on infrastructure will be nearly half a trillion dollars, which is a historic total. The bill will speed up project delivery, will cut Washington red tape so projects can be done faster and better and cheaper and smarter. It codifies key elements of President Trump’s One Federal Decision policy, so the approval process for States is simplified. It also gives States increased flexibility and reduces their paper- work burdens. Important safety road projects, which take months to build, shouldn’t take a decade to permit. The legislation will promote innovation and incorporate new technologies into road construction and management to expedite project delivery. Increasing safety is a top priority throughout the entire legislation. The legislation includes grant programs to incentivize States to lower the total number of driver and pedestrian deaths from car ac- cidents. It also establishes a pilot program to build highways wild- life crossings to help mitigate the dangers created when animals cross major roads. America’s Transportation Infrastructure Act establishes a com- petitive grant program to address the backlog of bridges in poor condition. Our bill will help build more durable roads that can withstand extreme weather events like floods, natural disasters such as wildfires and earthquakes and rockslides. The bill will also expedite the permitting of gathering lines on Federal land, and with tribal consent, Indian land as well. Gath- ering lines are small pipelines that help capture methane and re- duce the venting and flaring of natural gas. They also help reduce heavy duty truck traffic servicing oil and gas wells. This provision is good for the environment and for American energy production and for public safety. This bill will also help reduce emissions from our transportation infrastructure by creating voluntary programs for States and reau- thorizing successful programs like the Diesel Emissions Reduction
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